The heir or the spare...

Wow - I have got to stop following the Royal frenzy.

It's been great to get caught up in the 'modern day' cinderella story, and fun to see the Royal family pull out all of the stops to celebrate the marriage of the prince.  But one thing really caught me up short and has been nagging at me ever since...

As the couple was riding off 'into the sunset' (or, rather,  helecoptering off into the morning),
the newscasters were commenting on the fact that once they returned from their little weekend getaway, Kate... er... Princess Katherine... would then be expected to step into her role in the royal family...

which was first and foremost

to provide the 'kingdom' with an 'heir' and a 'spare'

What??!  Did I hear that right?  They actually said that out loud?

For some reason, the word 'spare' really rubbed me wrong.

I mean, how would you like to live your whole life knowing that your entire existence... the reason you were brought to the earth... was to be a 'spare' part for the royal family.

Give you whatever titles they want (seriously, where do they come up with the titles anyway?  Duke and Duchess of what, exactly??  Is there even a rhyme or reason to the name giving??)... Poor prince Harry knows that his whole purpose, according to the 'higher ups' ... is to be the 'understudy'... the 'first runner up'  if you will, to "in the event of the inability of the real heir to perform his or her duties as the real prize winner, then you get to step in and take their place.

But if not, well, then let's see... ummm... you can maybe be an earl of something??

... and then it got me starting thinking in the whole eternal realm of existing...

And I suddenly became grateful that we are not sent here to be 'spares'

And our children are not sent to us to teach them how to be 'spares'

Every single one of our children has the potential to be a fully functioning, 100% pure heir to the kingdom of God.

That thought did two things to me:

I gave me an immense sense of gratitude for a Father in Heaven who's love knows no spares.

... and an overwhelming sense of urgency to dig in a little deeper and try a little harder

to teach my children the real value of their worth.

To teach them that they were not sent here to train for a 'just in case' position.

They are here to learn how to really and truly become full fledged heirs to the most Royal of all Kingdoms.

And that makes all the difference.